A New Banner & The Sea Otter

Many returning readers will quickly recognize that I have placed a new image on the top of the site. The old image is still down in the 'About Me' section. I wanted to write a few facts about the Sea Otter because it is such an incredible story.  It shows what happens when Man decides they really have screwed up and want to fix the situation.  It is NEVER TO LATE TO CHANGE.  So, the Sea Otter:

• At one point it was estimated that the Sea Otter population was somewhere between 150,000 and 300,00, wow, that is a lot of Otters
• Between 1711 and 1911,  the Fur Trade, largely done by the Russians almost decimated the species, bringing the count down to between 1,000 to 2,000
• In the 1940's and 1950's a concerted effort was initiated in an attempt to save the species.  Otters were transplanted into various locations in an attempt to save them
• In the 1960's a population of approximately 500 Otters were introduced into South East Alaska
• Today, in Glacier Bay alone, the population is estimated to be around 3,000 and flourishing.  One park Biologist told me that they expect the count in the park to reach upwards of 5,000 before it levels off.  The last several years have seen tremendous growth in the population
• The Sea Otter, while a major marine success, remains under pressure from man-made environmental issues and is thus still listed as an Endangered Species

We can make a difference and we can find ways to balance our physical and economical needs with those of good environmental policies; our policies don't have to be mutually exclusive.  The Otter is just one example of how we have made the right choice!

The One Ocean Project is all about trying to identify and document scenarios just like this.  We strive to highlight these situations  through stories and imagery, showing that we CAN make a difference.